


Turn It On

by A_Modern_Girl



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Season/Series 02, Songfic, Stress Relief, don't take this one too seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Modern_Girl/pseuds/A_Modern_Girl
Summary: Early in their journey through the Delta Quadrant, Captain Janeway blows off some steam and learns about her first officer in the process.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	Turn It On

**Author's Note:**

> This is goofy, self-indulgent, and probably a little ooc, but I had fun with it and I hope you will too! Lyrics and title are from "Turn It On" by Sleater Kinney.

_It’s too warm  
Inside your hands  
It’s too hard  
It’s too good_

“Are you sure there is no other possible treatment, Doctor?” Lieutenant Tuvok asked.

Captain Janeway looked up at him from the biobed and tried not to glare. Sickbay was not her favorite place on the ship, she decided. In the six months since they had become stranded in the Delta Quadrant, it had been a place for more bad news than good. Combined with the scrutiny of her security chief and chief medical officer, she was almost ready to bolt for the door and dismiss the whole thing. Almost.

The Doctor sighed, “I have tried every stress reduction regimen in the book short of Klingon tranquilizers, but nothing seems to help. The Starfleet Psychological Database recommends deriving treatment from the patient’s recreational interests. While I don’t think a bender is what they had in mind, quite frankly, we are out of other options."

“It’s not a bender, I am going to a concert,” Janeway corrected, and after a pause, clarified, “during which I intend to get very drunk.”

Voyager was parked in orbit around a friendly planet, for once, and almost the entire crew was partaking in shore leave. So far, Kathryn had been too busy negotiating trade deals and helping B’Elanna jury rig compatible parts to join them. Only the Doctor’s continued concern over her stress levels had driven her to consider visiting the planet for anything other than business.

“I still don’t understand why this experience could not be simulated on the holodeck,” Tuvok argued.

Janeway shook her head as the Doctor launched into another lecture about corisol levels. Midway through the motion, she was distracted by a flash of crimson. To blend in, the Doctor had dyed her hair blood red and installed a single ridge down her forehead. She shivered involuntarily. She had replicated a short black dress for the evening, with full sleeves but tasteful cutouts at the shoulders. It would be perfect for the concert, if they would ever let her leave, but it was very much not designed for the climate on a starship.

The truth was, she completely understood Tuvok’s reluctance. Who in their right mind would let their captain attend what amounted to an alien punk rock concert alone, even in disguise? Even a month ago, she would have laughed at the suggestion herself, but their tour of the Delta Quadrant was taking its toll. She snapped at her subordinates during the day and tossed and turned all night. She needed something to help shake her back into some kind of normalcy. At this point, anything was worth a try.

Janeway held up a hand to stop the circular argument from going any further, “Look, the Doctor asked me what I had done before Voyager to relieve stress - even if it had been in the distant past. My roommate at the academy introduced me to this kind of music, and while it is not my first choice for listening, in the context of the event it did relieve stress. Now, are we going to try this, or do you want to find out first-hand the consequences of someone else coming in and seeing me like this?”

The Doctor and Tuvok exchanged one last look, and then Tuvok nodded.

“The Doctor will monitor you via subdermal transceiver.” Janeway pointed at her neck and nodded.

“And if anyone asks, I’m at a meditation retreat on the eastern continent,” she added.

Tuvok nodded again.

Janeway squared her shoulders and tried to look as commanding as possible, “Computer, energize.”

***

Janeway took a deep breath as she entered the club. The opening act was grinding out chords to a small crowd of loyal followers, but most of the action appeared to be at the bar. She headed that way. Despite the indecision in Sickbay, her timing appeared to be perfect.

She squeezed up to the bar and managed to acquire three fingers of local liquor. She was just about to turn away when the woman next to her flashed her a smile. Kathryn, aware she had time to kill, returned it and asked how her evening was going. It turned out the woman didn’t care much for the openers, but she had hitched a ride almost 200 kilometers to see the main act. Her name was Tailee, and she happily regaled Kathryn with tales of other shows she had attended. Kathryn felt her smiles grow wider and her shoulders loosen as she listened and sipped her drink. Time passed easily until the opening band called it quits.

“Come on, we need to get a good spot!” Tailee exclaimed, grabbing Kathryn by the hand.

She downed the last of her drink and followed at a jog. It turned out she and Tailee had the same ideas about the correct spot - front and center. Kathryn felt the eagerness spread in her insides as she jostled her way towards the stage. By the time they had reached their goal, the band they had been waiting for walked on, and Kathryn followed Tailee’s lead and screamed along with the crowd.

The drums started first, rattling Kathryn’s bones from the close proximity. An instrument deep in the bass range joined, liquefying her insides. The Doctor would probably have to repair damage to her hearing when he removed her disguise. All the better, she thought. So far, this was exactly what she had come for.

She had listened to recordings of a dozen potential groups before choosing this one. Firstly, she had been intrigued that the band had only female performers. Secondly, she enjoyed the irreverent, profane, and often angry lyrics. Captains so rarely got to show any of those traits, and she intended to relish in them.

She realized quickly that the audio recordings had failed to do the group justice. The performance was kinetic, physical, but never frantically so. Kathryn was mesmerized by the woman playing a medium sized instrument that, except for lacking strings, was distinctly guitar-like. She watched in awe as she strutted across the stage, almost kicking someone in the first row who, in response, shouted out in adoration. The woman projected pure confidence and sex, and if she dared admit it, Kathryn was a little jealous.

Around her, the whole crowd was moving. Always the Starfleet officer, she looked for any common movements that she should mimic to blend in. Thankfully, everyone seemed to just be reacting to the music - heads bobbing, arms flung with abandon. Flashing a smile at Tailee beside her, she joined in the melee.

The lyrics were shrieked and shouted as much as sung. When the chords and the singing resolved into harmony, Kathryn sighed with satisfaction. She rolled her hips, draped her arms playfully over Tailee, who didn’t seem the least bit bothered. They danced that way until the tempo picked up, and the crowd started jumping. Kathryn felt sweat beading at her hairline. This was the best workout she had gotten in weeks, she thought.

After several songs, she ceased to worry about trivial concerns like personal space. When she felt a masculine body pressed against her back, she didn’t bother to stop moving. She hummed as she turned to face the interloper, and then suddenly froze. Commander Chakotay was giving her a bland apologetic look, as if he had merely bumped her into her by mistake. Kathryn watched with horror as his expression transformed into confused recognition.

"Captain, is that you?" he shouted above the din.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I was supposed to meet Mike Ayala in a bar, but this definitely isn't it - I think there was a transporter malfunction,” he said, “What are you doing here? I thought you were at a meditation retreat?”

“What does it look like? I am meditating,” she spat back.

Some transporter malfunction, she thought. This was Tuvok’s doing, she was certain. Kathryn glared at Chakotay, as if by the intensity of her thoughts she could make him dematerialize. However, his expression surprised her. She had expected to see the worry and consternation she had gotten from Tuvok and the Doctor, but Chakotay didn’t seem bothered at all, or even all that surprised.

He had been a captain too, she remembered. He knew what the pressure was like. He had probably found his own creative ways to blow off steam over the years. He wasn’t worried about her, she realized, and he wasn’t judging her either. For the first time that evening, she felt truly seen.

“I’m sorry that I interrupted,” he said sincerely.

The drums picked back up again and Kathryn sighed.

“Either start dancing or get the hell out of here,” she snapped, and turned back to face the stage.

Why had she given him that ultimatum, she wondered, probably the booze. She shot a reassuring smile to Tailee in response to her inquiring look. She closed her eyes and felt the beat move through her. Her eyes shot open when she felt a strong hand wrap around her waist and pull her in.

She caught Tailee winking at her. Apparently, her first officer’s attractiveness hadn’t escaped her notice either. She should have never issued her challenge, Kathryn thought. But it was too late now, and his hands felt damn good. She raised her arms above her head and ground against him. To his credit, Chakotay knew what he was doing. His hands accentuated her movements, but never stifled them. He shielded her from getting trampled more than once. She tried to feel guilty about including him in her evening, but her mind couldn't be bothered. Maybe that had something to do with the way his muscled chest felt against her slender back.

When the beat picked up again, he let her go. She yelled along to the chorus, and heard Chakotay behind her doing the same. She vocalized all the frustration, all the unfairness of being trapped in the Delta Quadrant. She yelled until she was hoarse, and then she yelled some more. She danced and jumped and listened in awe to the powerful racket. She wanted to absorb it all.

Finally, the tempo wound down. Couples started swaying together, bodies and faces pressed close. That was the end of the line, and Kathryn knew it.

"I'm going to go get some air," she said, motioning towards the door.

Chakotay smiled knowingly. He must have anticipated she would ditch him at some point.

"Have a good night, Captain," he said with a formal nod.

His expression left her in no doubt of his complete discretion. It was a rare privilege, she realized, having a first officer who fully understood the burden if command. Unfortunately, he had already disappeared into the crowd before Kathryn could summon the words to thank him. She shook her head, squeezed out of the building, and called for beam out.

***

As expected, she Tuvok was manning the transporter controls when she returned.

“Good evening, Captain,” he said smoothly.

“Beaming Chakotay down to the same club I was in? What were you thinking?” she hissed, quickly stepping off the platform.

“I only wished for there to be someone nearby if you should need assistance. He was still under the impression you were at the meditation retreat.”

“That was until he found me, Tuvok,” Janeway growled.

Tuvok raised an eyebrow.

“I apologize Captain,” he said, “I had assumed he would not recognize you. Does this mean your treatment was unsuccessful?”

Janeway paused to consider. She was invigorated, but not jumpy. Tired, but at long last, sleepy. She did, in fact, feel better.

“No Tuvok,” she said more calmly, “I think it worked just fine. Transport me back to my quarters, would you?”

She didn’t dare to consider the possibility that Chakotay’s presence had helped. That was too dangerous of a thought. When she fell asleep minutes later, she could still feel the beat in her bones.

_Don't say the word  
If you don't want it done  
Don't tell me your name  
If you don't want it sung_


End file.
